if you want to look up an item's ID, just use help "item" 0 to list all things with that name
–
z 'Nov 20 '11 at 2:59

1

"I'd prefer not to do that." Why? There are plenty of items for you to find that were "lost for the ages," so you're just enhancing the lore of Skyrim. You sold it to a shopkeeper, who passed it on to a hapless traveler, driven mad by its enchantments, or something (merchants unload their inventory every once in a while). Or you accidentally dropped it. Or put it in a chest that wasn't yours, which, as we all know, periodically sends its contents to Oblivion. The only real solution here is to use the console, as there's no guarantee you can re-find it even if you remember where you left it.
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brymckNov 20 '11 at 5:40

1

I had a similar problem when I put it on a weapon rack in my house in Solitude. I walked in and saw it was missing. After about 20 minutes of searching, I found it had fallen off the rack, bounced around my basement (somehow) and ended up in the little room with the sleeping bag by the alchemy table...
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FluttershyDec 21 '11 at 2:42

2

Clearly, most player houses in Tamriel are haunted. It's the only explanation.
–
TacroyAug 3 '12 at 19:26

6

Using the console command 'save "name" 1' will create a text dump of the save data in your saves folder named name.ess.txt, the item should pop up there if it is still in the world.
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kotekzotAug 15 '12 at 3:23

Console players cannot retrieve or spawn items that have disappeared and have generally a hard time getting back persistent items (like quest items or unique quest rewards) which have fallen through the many cracks of the world, though the details of this depend on the specific item and installed DLCs.

i think that's a bug, and i once was hit with it. if you happen to put in a weapon mannequin( he person like doll where you can put things to "try" it out) with another item, say archmage robes, it will disappear and never be found/lost.

best hope is to make one, as i also did that, knowing for myself that i already defeated Morekei.